Marchers Take to Washington Square Park to “Stand Up for Science”

“All the normal progress of science is being delayed,” said Dr. Marc Gartenberg, professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “And this delay will affect our next generation of scientists.”

On Friday, March 7, everyone from doctors to PhD candidates to energized allies saturated Washington Square Park as part of nation-wide “Stand Up for Science” rally. While the main event took place in Washington, D.C., there was an impressive turn out for the NYC demonstration.

Abby Haber, 26, is a soon-to-be medical student who’s current research focuses on addiction medicine and chronic pain. She also does a lot of work with OnePoint, a harm reduction organization based in New York that relies heavily on federal grants.

“There are three overdose prevention centers in NYC, and they’re all at risk of being completely defunded during the current administration,” Abby explained. “I’m also an incoming medical student, and I don’t know what it means to train in an organization like this.”

This uncertainty is felt not just by future medical professionals, but by their work. Savannah Miller, 26, is a research coordinator for the Tuberculosis Research Group at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her research is a striking example of how a pause in funding affects infectious diseases years down the line.

“If you’re not able to go by the timeline that’s already been established, you’re not going to even be able to start the application process for funding until next year, if it’s even allowed,” explained Miller. “Actions taken now, even just for a week or month at a time, can push research agendas that help save lives back by years, all the while not considering the number of people who are now going to be infected with, at least in my research, tuberculosis.”

Among the handful of speakers that were platformed at the march was Caitlin Williams, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the pediatrics department at Weill Cornell Medicine. As a first generation college graduate, and the first person in her family to pursue an advanced degree, her story illustrates the unwavering dedication of scientists and how funding cuts are detrimental to the future of research.

“As I was a student, I was also a single mom. I was the only person there studying breast milk antibodies, I was the only parent and I was one of the very few women in our microbiology department,” she said. “In fact, in my master’s program there was one, single female faculty member in the entire department. This is why we need NIH funding, specifically diversity funding, because we need representation.”

Caitlin went on to explain that one year into her PhD program, her daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia, so she was tasked with balancing coursework, research, her daughter’s chemotherapy and a part-time job so she could put food on the table. If there was no NIH funding to support students like herself, none of that would have been possible, and her findings would have suffered.

The crowd united in applause, invigorated by Caitlin’s story. Assembly member Harvey Epstein also spoke at the rally, asserting his allyship with the scientific community.

“We are fighting for our values. We are fighting for our future. We are fighting for intelligence. We are fighting for prosperity. We are fighting to make sure people are healthy and safe in the future.”